Saint Edwards State Park trails are a network of generally well maintained single track that will pose challenges for a variety of riders. You will encounter rolling singletrack, small drops and jumps
Saint Edwards State Park trails are a network of generally well maintained single track that will pose challenges for a variety of riders. You will encounter rolling singletrack, small drops and jumps, a few bermed turns, log obstacles, the occasional (low) 'skinny', a few steep climbs and descents, some root sections and even a few natural stunts. St. Edwards is a great choice for after work rides, basic XC training and riding, or even for improving skills by riding sections over and over again.
North of 141st Street / Holmes Point Drive the best trails tend to be the Volunteer trail and the main trail that runs parallel to Juanita drive. South of 141st / Holmes Point is a more complex network of trails that ultimately are all connected, so it's hard to get lost. These trails are open year round.
How to Find It
From Seattle: Take Lake City way to the top of Lake Washington. At a traffic light, turn right onto 68th Ave NE. This will become Juanita Drive NE and go uphill. When the hill starts to level out a bit, look on the right for the Bastyr University sign. Turn right at the sign, and when the road forks, go right again. Close to the parking area, the road splits--go right again to the "back" parking area if you're meeting for a ride or a class.
From Seattle on I-5: Take I-5 north. Take exit 177 and go East on Lake Ballinger Way. Go all the way down until you dead end into Bothel way NE, hang a left. Go down until you hit the light at 68th Ave. NE and hang a right. 68th Ave. NE turns into Juanita Dr. The Park is down on the right. You'll see the sign. -Afro66d
From the Eastside: Take I-405 north, then get off at exit 20A (NE 116th St). Turn left at NE 116th St. 116th St. will eventually become Juanita Drive NE - follow the directions above from there.
Typical Conditions
Dense lowland forest with thick undergrowth in most areas. The trails south of 141st / Holmes Point tend to handle wet conditions quite well.
Local Points of Interest
The parking lot in front of the local QFC is a good place to park if you don't have a discover pass.
Advocacy & Stewardship
After a two-year public process State Parks adopted a CAMP (Classification and Management Plan) for St. Edward State Park that addresses land classification, future park boundaries, natural resource protection, trail use and other issues. The CAMP adopted by the State Parks and Recreation commission, which includes both management policies and a map detailing where different activities in the park should occur, protects mountain bike use on all trails where it is currently permitted, and calls for up to three new trails in the park that also would be open for mountain biking. As a result of the CAMP it is also possible that the portion of King County Big Finn Hill Park west of Juanita Drive eventually may become part of St. Edward State Park.
Evergreen was strongly represented throughout the process of drafting the plan (Tom Fitzpatrick and Preston Peterson participated in the citizen advisory committee with other interest groups and State Parks staff) as well as at the public meetings called to get community input and reaction. We also will continue to be involved with State Parks and the City of Kenmore in getting the new trails approved, and will be the main actors in siting, designing and building them.
Turn by Turn
There are a lot additional trails, and off-shoots that are not shown on this map (below) - You can go down to the water, you can find more routes near Big Finn Hill, but this is the basic idea, with some entire areas you might otherwise miss. Lots of trails around the ball fields in the South East corner...
You will get lost. The trails all interconnect. If you find yourself on suddenly on a residential street after taking an offshoot trail, turn around. The exception being where the signs are posted at main trailheads where you are supposed to cross the road to continue on the trails.
